New Truths
by Keira Pegasus
Summary: Set about a year in the future and a newcomer again walks among the flock. How will this change everyone's lives? What will this do to the already shaken up flock? Could this mean something more for everyone? Truths will be brought out, new and unknown. Read it if you dare.
1. Ch1: Change in Destiny

**Chapter 1- Change in Destiny**

Upon waking I couldn't believe that I would be turning sixteen soon. I got up and went to do my normal routine, showering and getting breakfast before going to my prep school. I get downstairs and it seemed strangely quiet, so I head to the kitchen to get breakfast expecting that my parents are going to be there. When I walk into the kitchen they are nowhere to be seen. A note is on the refrigerator.

It reads 'Emergency at work, had to leave early.' Both of my parents are doctors and this happens often. I put the note on the counter and head back to the fridge to get some breakfast. I stop and look at my reflection in the steel. I am an average height, with blond wavy hair and chocolate brown eyes with fair skin.

I smile and get some breakfast. Then I leave for my one mile walk to my prep school. We live in a basic city that isn't huge but isn't small. For me to get to my school I have to walk through our neighborhood to the main road then up through a part of the city filled with street side shops. The walk is usually quiet.

I get to a side road that leads to the main road. I look at my watch and find out that I am fifteen minutes early. I laugh at myself and look around. Not many shops are open and very few cars are on the roads.

Suddenly I hear a car screeching down an alley near the store I am a standing next to. I turn and see a large white van pull quickly out of the alley and stop in the middle of the side road. The door facing me slides open and three masked people jump out. They start to slowly approach me and one of them has a nightstick.

"Easy now. Come quietly and you wont be hurt." the man with the nightstick says. I start to back up away from them. My back is almost to the wall of a shop when the other two masked people jump forward and grab each of my arms. I struggle to free myself as the masked people try to drag me away.

"Let me go!" I scream. I kick, pull, and thrash against the hands holding me against my will. The man with the nightstick steps forward, swinging the stick into my abdomen, knocking the breath out of me. I go limp trying to get the oxygen back into my lungs. I cough and gasp, my teeth clenching in pain.

"Don't struggle. It's pointless." the man with the nightstick says. I don't fight them but I do fight to catch my breath. Still gasping I surrender any chances of getting away. The trio starts to drag me to the van.

My breath is slowly coming back to me. We are almost to the van and I hear a _whooshing_ sound then a grunting sound come from the man with the nightstick. I look up to see a girl my age standing there. She is tall, slender, and her hair is a dirty blond. The masked man with the nightstick is on the ground beneath her feet and she is staring at the people holding me.

"NOW!" she yells. More people literally drop out of the sky and attack the two other masked people. There are three older boys, a younger girl and two little kids one a boy and the youngest a girl. The people holding me release their grip to defend themselves and I back away from the fight till me back touches the wall of a shop. Within a few minutes both of my captures are unconscious and the leader girl turns to me.

A super huge jeep rounds the corner and stops next to the white van. A man gets out and rounds the jeep before coming up to me. He stops approaching me and puts his hands up as to show me he means no harm.

"It's alright Sarah. My name is Jeb, I am a scientist. Are you hurt?" he asks.

I struggle to catch my breath after getting it knocked out of me. I nod no.

"She is just frightened." the younger of the two older boys says. I decide to speak up, no matter how much it hurts my lungs.

"You wouldn't talk either if you had the wind knocked out of you." I manage to say with what little breath I was able to take in. I start to gasp and cough for air as my lungs work to get oxygen.

"Sarah, I know you are in shock by what has happened but you need to come with us. You are not safe here" Jeb says.

"What do you mean? Where are my parents? What just happened? How do you know my name?" I ask, my voice shaky after catching my breath.

"As a scientist, I was part of a governmental assigned team testing genetic experiments. I am afraid to tell you that you are part of one of those experiments, and these people were trying to take you to a facility for testing. We came to get you so that they wouldn't be allowed to capture you." Jeb explains.

"No... that's not possible." I say. I check my coat pockets. "Where is my phone, I have to call my mom at the hospital."

"Your parents are not at any hospital." I look up to the leader girl. She walks over to the two bodies of the people that had been holding and dragging me. She grabs their ski masks and pulls them off. The faces beneath were those of my parents.

"Mom? Dad? But how? Why?" I say as the shock and truth of what is happening sinks in.

"Sarah, we have to leave. There will be more coming, the only way you will be safe is if you come with us." Jeb says. I consider everything that has happened and look over to the faces of who I thought of as parents.

"Okay, I'll come with you."

"Wait. Explain that again please." I say. We are all crammed into the jeep. Four of us are in the back seat and Max, as I have learned the leader's name, was in the passenger seat. The three youngest, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel as I have learned, were behind us in the rear of the jeep. The three oldest boys were seated next to me, with me crammed in the middle. I remembered that their names were Fang, Iggy, and Dylan. As we hit a bump in the dirt road my head hit the roof of the jeep.

"You are part of the same kind of experiment as all of the others here, with one exception. Sarah, you were created with the genetics of about 2% avian or bird. What that means is that you are meant to have certain attributes of a bird, one being wings." Jeb explains, pausing as he works the jeep over a large log.

"Wings? Is that how you all literally dropped out of the sky?" I ask.

"Yeah, we flew in once we realized that you weren't fighting anymore. We didn't want to let them take it too far." Max explains.

"Thank you, really." I say.

The jeep is rolling along on the path and after what seems like an hour of silence in the crammed car, the jeep finally rolls to a stop.

"Finally!" Dylan says opening the door and getting out quickly. The rest of the flock followed after him and last of all of them, me.

When I stepped out of the jeep we were in the back of a large yard of sorts. There wasn't much grass and lots of trees blocked the view of the house that sat on the land.

"Oh we're home!" Nudge exclaimed.

The house looked huge. It had two stories. The first story looked like a giant concrete block above ground. Then at the start of the second floor, a large deck sits and goes around almost the entire house. I assumed that something had to be in that first floor. I had stopped walking and just stared at the huge building.

"This is our home." Jeb says. He continues to walk to the house and I follow after him.

I suddenly realize that the only way into the house is through the back sliding glass door on the second floor.

"Um, how do we get up there?" I ask.

No one answers me. Instead, Max jumps and lets out her huge wings. They catch the air and their flapping sends her upward and to the deck. The rest of the flock follows her lead. Lastly, she rolls down a rope ladder for Jeb and I.

We climb and soon reach the top. We head inside and the flock sets themselves down almost everywhere.

"I'll cook." the boy named Iggy says.

"Thanks I'm starved!" the dark boy named Fang says.

Soon after, we are all seated at a table with a large lasagna in front of us. We all dig in and I get a strange feeling that I don't yet belong with everyone here. I try to avoid most eye contact and focus on the food in front of me.

"Sarah, I need to talk to you about something." Jeb says.

"Sure. What is it?" I ask.

"Well, see the thing is that since you were from a different section of the same experiment, well it means that you are nothing like the rest of the flock here." he says.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You were created completely differently. The entire flock here were created with their avian DNA already active and working. The section of the experiment that you were in was testing if the genes could be just simply activated in a later time." he explains.

"So you are saying that I have the same avian DNA but that it just isn't working yet. Like it isn't actively working? Is that even possible?" I wonder.

"Yes. You were their first and only success at it. You have what they called replacement genes. These genes were made to function until your true genes were activated and allowed to take over." he says.

"What does this mean to me now?" I ask.

"That is the problem. You see, the replacement genes were never meant to last forever." he explains.

"When do they stop working?" I ask.

"The night of your sixteenth birthday." he states.

"What will happen?" I ask. It is the news I really don't want to hear but I know that the truth must come out.

Jeb pauses before answering. "If they fail and your true genes aren't activated, you entire body will shut down."

I let the full amount of shock flow through me and I process what I just heard. I understood exactly what he was trying to say. He was explaining that if or when my replacement genes fail, and my true genes are not active, I will die.


	2. Ch2: Life's Transformations

Chapter 2- Life's Transformations

After dinner, most of the flock went to bed. Jeb went downstairs to his lab to try to create the serum that will save my life and give me wings. I went to my room and tried to get some sleep only to toss and turn in my bed till I get up and head outside for some fresh air.

When I get outside, I leave the door open behind me and I walk up to the railing. The stars are amazingly beautiful and they seem to calm me. Then I sense someone standing behind me. I spin around to face them.

"Iggy?" I ask, surprised.

"Ya. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he say.

"I was just surprised a little." I say.

Iggy walks up next to me at the railing and we stand there looking at the stars. Even the moon is a perfect crescent in the sky.

"They're beautiful aren't they?" I ask.

"I wouldn't know." Iggy says sadly. I look at him to find out why and notice that he never took off his sun glasses.

"Iggy, are you blind?" I ask.

"Yes, but not in all ways." he says. "I may not be able to see but I can hear better than anyone in the flock."

"I'm sorry Iggy, I wish I had known." I apologize.

"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it." he says.

"Thank you. I'm worrying enough as it is." I say.

"You're scared aren't you?" he asks kindly. I consider how truly scared I am before answering.

"I could die." I plainly state. "Yesterday, I was just a normal girl living her life and now I have been thrown into this life and told that I'm just a guinea pig in a twisted experiment." my voice edging towards panicky at the end.

"You won't die" he insists, placing a hand on my shoulder for comfort. "Jeb won't let that happen. None of us would let that happen."

A strange volt of static came through Iggy's hand and into my shoulder. We both jump a little at it shocks us both.

_Thanks a lot Iggy for shocking me _I say sarcastically in my head.

"You're welcome." he says, chuckling. I freeze.

"Um. Iggy, can you read minds?" I ask.

"No. why?" he asks.

"Because you just answered my thoughts" I say plainly.

"Really? How can that be?" Iggy asks.

"I don't know. I'll try it again, maybe it was just a coincidence." I say.

"Okay, give it a try." he says.

_Can you hear me? Iggy? _I say in my head, feeling a little stupid.

_Um, yeah. Can you hear me? _I hear Iggy's voice in my head.

"Whoa. That's strange. I could hear you voice in my head." I say.

"Maybe there is something that connects us." he says.

"How? You are more connected with the rest of the flock than me. I just got here yesterday. I barely know you." I say, considering any possibilities.

"I'm not sure." Iggy says.

A soft wind blows and stirs the air around us, warming the atmosphere. A strange sense of familiarity surrounds us.

"Do you think..? Do you think there might be a possibility that we could be related?" I ask. "You seem so familiar to me."

"I can't be sure. It's possible though. I guess we can't be sure. Do you look anything like me?" he asks.

"Not really. Jeb did however say something to me about how the change that will give me wings might change other characteristics." I explain.

"Like what?" he asks.

"Anything, my eyes, hair, height, skin color even my muscle tone." I say.

"Then we will just have to wait and find out what you truly look like. But I felt it too, that strange familiarity. Like I have known you my whole life." Iggy says.

"Same here." I say.

"We should probably get to bed." he says.

_Good night, Iggy. _I think to him.

_Good night Sarah._ I hear him say in my head. We head inside and go our separate ways. I head to my bedroom and fall into a peaceful sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I wake up and head out to the kitchen. When I get inside I look up to see Iggy standing at the counter. I smile slightly.

_Good morning, Iggy. _I say to him.

_Oh, Sarah. Good morning. _He says to me in silence.

I walk over to him and look at all of the supplies in front of him. There is flour, milk, eggs, even berries and chocolate chips.

_Pancakes? _I guess. _ Can I help? _I ask.

_Sure, that would be great. Thanks._ He replies.

We work together in silence and soon the house is filled with the smell of pancakes and chocolate chips. The rest of the flock start to emerge. We all sit down to breakfast and enjoy the buttery pancakes. We hear Jeb come up from his lab.

"I've done it. I have created the serum, my lab will be ready by one o' clock this afternoon." he explains. His eyes have shadows under them.

"Thank you Jeb." I say as I hand him a plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee.

"Well then," Max says. "since you will be getting wings soon enough, why don't we show you what it looks like?" she asks.

"Um, sure I guess." I say.

"Great! I've been dying to really stretch my wings!" Gazzy says through a mouthful of pancakes and syrup.

"We'll go outside after breakfast." Max says.

We all finish the huge breakfast. I don't eat much of it at all, worrying about what is going to happen now that I am going to be saved. I'm wondering what the process will be like, worrying that it will be painful. I shudder at the thought.

_Sarah are you alright?_ I hear Iggy ask me in my head.

_Just worried a little. I don't know what will happen... _I leave off.

_Everything will be fine. You'll be fine. _He says as we are heading outside.

The flock starts to climb up the roof. Iggy helps me get up and to the top of the roof. Then I watch as the flock all jump off the roof and sour upward then form into a small circle.

_Watch. This is what we do for fun. _Iggy says to me.

Max and Fang break off from the group and start to fight in mid air. The fight is pretty fair but after a while, Fang gets hit in the gut and tumbles down ten feet before gaining his footing, sort of, and flying back up to Max before going back to the group.

Next up is Dylan. That fight lasts for what seems like forever. And finally after the fight continues to go back and forth, Dylan and Max call it a draw and he heads back to the group. Then I see Iggy start to fly to her.

_Be careful Iggy._ I tell him through my mind.

_Don't worry, I may be blind but I have the best hearing of the flock. It is my one advantage. _He says as he gets to her level.

The fight starts. Max goes full out. She spins and kicks at Iggy, but just before she would hit him, he dodges. I realize what is happening, he can hear the wind move when she is throwing an attack. I sit there on the top of the roof watching the incredible fight. Suddenly Iggy launches his own attack. He dodges another of Max's attack and then spins to kick her in the back, sending her flying into a tree.

I stand up in shock. Max then appears out from the tree and goes back up to Iggy.

"Incredible isn't it?" Jeb says from the deck.

I jump a little. "oh, yes it is. Is the lab ready already?" I ask.

"Yes, everything is prepared." he says.

_Iggy, it's time. _I say to him. The flock soon lands and we all head down to the lab. Everything is set up like a hospital. I am given a nurses uniform to wear. When I come out from the bathroom, I sit down on the bed. Four different machines surround the bed, all for a different purpose.

"Now Sarah, the serum will leave you unconscious for the transformation." Jeb explains.

"How long will I be out?" I ask, unable to hide the fear in my voice. Iggy comes over to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"We can't be sure. But anywhere up to twelve days." he say.

"Okay." I say simply. I lay down on the bed and Iggy takes my right hand in his.

Jeb inserts two IV needles into my left wrist and them grabs a large gun looking device full of a blue goo inside and a large needle at the end.

"Hold still." He says as he places the needle just above the IV needles in my wrist.

Without warning he pushes the needle into the veins of my arm and pushes the plunger down, forcing the dense goo into my arm. I clench my teeth in pain, the only thing I can do to keep myself from screaming.

_Hang in there Sarah. You can do it. _I hear Iggy in my head.

As the goo spreads in my body, I start to feel a strange numbness and I start to get sleepy. My eyelids get heavy.

_I'll see you when I wake up Iggy. _ I tell him.

_I can't wait. See you, well kinda._ He says sarcastically in my head.

I smile at the little joke as I drift off from the serum, awaiting what it will be like when I wake up.


	3. Ch3: New Sage

Chapter 3- New Sage

I wake up with a jolt, sitting upright much too fast causing myself to get fairly dizzy. I'm still on the hospital bed in Jeb's lab. The IVs are out of my arm and as I look at my skin, there are no scars or bandages for the needle punctures. Then a strand of my hair falls in front of my face.

The hair I see is not the dark blond, wavy hair that I was expecting. Instead, this hair is completely straight and is a strange reddish brown, like a strawberry brunette. I remember now what Jeb had said, some of my characteristics could change.

I jump up from my hospital bed and head straight for the back bathroom. There is a chair with a set of clothes on it. I grab those and head to change out of this nurses outfit. As I walk into the bathroom, I look in the mirror at my new face.

Nothing really changed, at least not anything really big. My hair has turned perfectly straight and is completely the strawberry brunette color. I am a little taller and a little bit more slender. The biggest thing that has changed was my eyes. Instead of the chocolate brown I used to have, my new eyes are a strange dark green color like a dark sage.

I'm somewhat mystified by the new color to my eyes. Eventually, however, I break my staring in the mirror and start to change out of the nurse's outfit. I change my pants first before struggling to get the nurse's shirt off. That's when my fingers brush them.

My back is to the mirror and I twist my head around to look at my back. That's where I see my wings, neatly tucked into my back. The feathers are the exact same color of my hair, with exception of the ends that are tipped with black. I gasp a little when I first see them.

I put on the shirt I was given and I realize that there are slits in the back for my wings to come out of. I head back out to the lab and try to hear what the flock is doing upstairs. A clock on the wall shows that it is around noon. I decide, after I can't hear anything, that I am going to surprise them all. So I go to the door and slowly open it.

I walk up the stair, careful not to make any sounds, which is easier with my more slenderness. As I get to the top of the stairs, I can hear the flock. Iggy is in the kitchen and the rest are all around the rec room. I approach the room slowly, leaning against the wall to not be seen. Iggy calls for lunch to be served and the flock rushes to the table. I make my entrance.

"Hey guys. Hey Iggy, what's for lunch?" I ask as I walk to the table. Everyone stares at me in shock. "Hey are you all alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." I say, grabbing a sandwich from a plate full and taking a bite.

"We just weren't expecting you to wake up this early." Jeb says.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"Five days. We were expecting seven." Jeb explains.

"Oh, well I just woke up a little while ago." I say, eating another bite from the sandwich.

"Well I'm going to need to check to make sure you transformed correctly." He says.

"Sure thing. After lunch?" I ask.

"Sure." He says.

_Welcome back Sarah. Did anything change? _ I hear Iggy asking in my head.

_Besides the wings? _ I ask sarcastically.

_Yes, besides the wings. _ He says, chuckling a little.

_Not really, just my height. I am a few inches taller. Oh and my hair is a strawberry brunette color that my wings match with black tips on the feathers. My eyes changed into a strange sage green sort of color._ I explain to him.

_That must be beautiful._ Iggy says.

_It is. Thanks._ I say.

We all finish eating and I have to head back down to Jeb's lab. He takes x-rays of my chest and did an entire body physical. After a few hours of the testing, and waiting for the x-ray sheets, Jeb finally finishes.

"Well it seems that the transformation went perfectly. You formed correctly and without any side effects." he says.

"Thanks." I say. "I'm glad it all went well."

"There is one thing however." he says, I wait for him to explain. "For not only your safety but for the safety of the entire flock, I think that it would be better for you to change your name. That way, even with your physical changes, if you were to go into public, you wouldn't be recognized."

"I understand." I say thinking of what I could change my name to. "How about instead of Sarah, I go by Sage?" I ask.

"Good, that will hide your identity." he says.

I head back upstairs and into the rec room, Jeb following close behind. As we enter the rec room I see everyone sort of sprawled out all over. The boys are all on the couch and Max and Angel are on the loveseat. Nudge is at the table reading a magazine. Everyone looks up when we enter.

"She is in perfect health." Jeb notes. "And for everyone's safety, I have asked Sarah to change her name. As to not be recognized in public."

"So, what is it?" Fang asks.

"Sage." I reply.

"Well, Sage, now that you have the bill of good health, why don't we do your first flying lesson?" Max asks.

"Um. S-sure." I say, a little nervous.

Everyone heads outside and up the roof. The entire flock, other that Max and I, fly off the roof. I pay close attention to how they launch off the end of the roof, trying to get that into memory.

"So, just take a running start and when you jump off put your wings out to catch you. Make sure you flap them right after you launch too." Max says before taking off herself.

I take a couple of deep breaths. I pull my wings out and then tuck them over my shirt to make it a little easier. I take another few deep breaths and run for the end of the roof.

I do as Max says and launch my wings out and try to get them to catch me in the mid air. They launch out and flap once, keeping me at the height of the roof. Then I fall. I don't fall straight down, twisting as I fall the thirty feet to the ground. I get my wings to pump once more before I hit the hard ground, trying to slow my momentum.

When I hit the ground, my back hits first then the rest of my body. I hit my head pretty hard, making me so dizzy my head feels like it is spinning.

"Sage! Are you alright?" I hear Iggy say. I feel a couple of people land near my and I look up to see Iggy next to me. I am so dizzy that I see about five of him. My vision slowly comes back.

"Hey, you okay there?" Max says from the ground.

"I think so. I'm really dizzy and I probably have a lot of bruises, but no serious harm." I say. Iggy helps me up and catches my elbow when I sway a little on my feet. "I'm fine." I say.

"Not so easy is it?" Max asks.

"No. But then again I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I just didn't think I would fall thirty feet." I say, laughing a little.

"Why don't you just sit the rest out then? You can try again tomorrow." Max says.

"Sounds good." I say. Iggy and Max take off from the ground and Iggy puts down the ladder for me. I climb back up to the roof and sit there watching the rest of the flock as they fly. Soon, too soon, the sun sets and we all call it a night.

I head to bed and try to get some sleep. All I can think of though is what happened when I tried to fly. It was a huge failure. I couldn't even hold myself in the air for more then a few seconds. Ugh! And then the rest of the flock can fly so easily. My wings feel like they are a part of me but when I try to use them like Max was teaching me, they feel so useless.

Frustrated and restless I get out of bed, get some real clothes on, and head quietly outside to the deck, finally fed up with the idea that I had fail completely at my first flight. When I get outside, I quickly and quietly go to the top of the roof.

**Author's Note: Hey readers, look if you feel like you will hurt my feelings if you review and I may not like it you have no reason to worry. Even if you say something critical, thats good. I would love for you to do that. So go ahead and review this story, it would help me write it! And keep reading.**


	4. Ch4: Midnight Flight

**Hey readers, sorry for keeping you waiting for so long for this chapter. Really sorry. And keep up on the reviews please they really help. Thanks.**

**Chapter 4-Midnight flight**

I am standing on the top of the roof. A cool night breeze blows through my hair and smells of late spring and blooming plants. My ears pick up a faint sound of crickets in the distance and a crescent moon barely lights the sky.

I try to take some deep breaths to calm myself down. Breath after breath I just get more frustrated with myself however and I can't help but have an urge to punch something and scream. I just can't seem to be able to live with the stupid crash that I did yesterday. I know that I probably wasn't going to fly the first time but the embarrassment was, well... embarrassing.

I walk over to the edge of the roof that I started at yesterday and stood looking towards the other end. My wings flex under my jacket and another breeze blows through. I close my eyes as I let my instincts take over. My ears hear every sound. I can feel each single breeze as it blows through the sky. My wings come out and settle over my jacket.

I think about what Max told me and dismiss it all, deciding to follow my instincts and go with my gut. I take a couple of really deep breaths, allowing myself to take in my environment one more time.

My eyes snap open and I launch myself down the rooftop to the other end. Listening to my instincts, I put my wings out before I jump and use them to pump air under me as my feet push off of the edge of the roof.

My wings pump up and down and I am floating in mid-air. Their movement feels so natural. I look down at the ground and at the rooftop. An amazing surge of energy and power goes through me. I punch the air around me in victory, spinning in place.

"YES!" I whisper.

I let my wings lift me higher into the air and I am soon above all of the trees. I stay there for a moment to take in the view from above. Then I let myself go into a free fall, swooping just before I would hit the ground and climbing back up into the sky again. I fly up and around the entire house before I start to move through the trees.

As I pass by a large tall tree, I hear something launch out from one of its branches. I look around and notice a wild owl flying next to me. We lock eyes during flight and it seems comfortable with flying with me. We fly swiftly between the trees and I watch the owl's beautiful black and brown wings as it glides through the air. We seem connected for a few sweet moments until it glides away, surveying the ground for it's midnight dinner.

I sigh as I hover, watching the owl fly away. I finally feel like part of the flock, part of my new home. My wing pump and my connection to the others is finally complete. I can't wish for anything more than what I have now.

I head up higher, just below the tree tops. I stop when I get to the clearing near the house and look around. Then I spot something at the house. It climbs up the roof and stops before taking off. Whoever it is flies up to me and as they come closer, I can make out their face.

"Dylan?" I ask as he stops in front of me. His glare meets my eyes and I wonder why he is so angry.

"How can you fly so _easily?_" he spits at me. His voice hisses at 'easily'. I flinch a little from his tone but then my own anger comes out.

"I don't know Dylan." I spit at him. "Sorry if I can fly right now." I fly past him, heading for the roof. Then I spin around. "You know Dylan everyone is different and just because I can fly my second time doesn't mean that it gives you the right to be mad at me. I spin around and quickly land on the roof top. I hear Dylan land close behind me.

"You're lucky you know." he says calmly. I spin around surprised by his sudden mood change.

"What?" I ask.

"Max at least tried to teach you. All she did for me was push me off the edge of the roof." he says.

"She pushed you off the roof!" I exclaim.

"Yeah. I worked though. Still took me a week to learn how to fly like you can now." he admits.

"Oh." I say awkwardly. "I just followed my instincts and well... jumped." I explain.

"Really? Weren't you worried about crashing again?" he asks.

"Not really." I say. "It was just that I was so frustrated that I wasn't able to fly yesterday. And that crash was embarrassing. I had to redeem myself."

"Well you did." Dylan says before he gets a guilty look on his face. "I'm sorry. I was just angry that you seemed to figure it out so early. More frustrated at myself than angry at you." he apologizes.

"I understand. And don't worry, I forgive you." I say.

"Thanks." he says. "And by the way, how could you hover like you were? The rest of us have to rise and fall like five feet just to stay in one spot." Dylan explains.

"Hover? It's just about catching the air with the tips of your wings instead of the body of them." I explain to him.

"Really? It can't be so simple." he says, a skeptic look on his face.

"You wanna see?" I ask with a smile on my face.

I turn away from him without waiting for an answer and jump back off the roof and into the night air. Dylan soon follows and it is when I first notice that he was telling the truth. He can't hover like I can. And I finally recognize how HUGE he is. He is taller than anyone in the flock and his wings spread at least 15 feet. I find myself staring as he climbs to where I am. I look away swiftly.

"So, tuck the larger part of your wings in and flap the tips down into the underside of the larger part. It will make the air circle around under you and keep you hovering in the air." I explain to Dylan after he flies up to me.

It takes him a few tries and I help him with getting the position right. Soon after, Dylan is hovering just like I am.

"Wow. It's actually really easy." Dylan says.

"Told ya." I say. I laugh and unleash my wings, pumping them and climbing higher in the air.

I get above the trees and go in for a free fall again. I look back to Dylan and find that he isn't where he was a second ago. I swoop down, missing the ground by a few feet. I look around for Dylan as I climb again up into the sky. Then I spot him at the edge of the trees, above them headed towards me. He suddenly starts to weave through the trees, turning and twisting around to avoid the branches.

I dip down and start to fly through the trees too, flying like I was with the owl. After a few minutes Dylan and I burst through the web of branches and into the clearing around the house. We look at each other and realize that we are breathing heavy. I start to fly to the roof and land. Dylan follows. I sit down on the roof top and work at catching my breath. Dylan sits next to me.

"Its nice to get out and just fly sometimes." Dylan says.

"Yeah. And nice to get out on a beautiful night like this. Away from all of that tension." I say.

"Tension?" Dylan asks.

"Yeah, the house feels tense a lot. Usually when you and Max are in the same room." I say without thinking. Dylan doesn't say anything and I look over to him. His face is sad and torn. I'm worried I said something that I shouldn't have. "Dylan?" I ask. He looks over at me and meets my eyes.

"Sorry. I.." he says. "It's just that I was created to be Max's 'perfect other half'. The doctor that cloned me from a boy that died in an accident in Canada changed something in my genetics. I am sorta forced to want Max." he explains. "That's why the house is tense a lot. I'm forced to take Max away from Fang."

Dylan looks away from me and his eyes move to the roof. I understand what he is saying and what I said that set him off. I try to think of something that will reverse what I have done but Dylan starts talking before I have a change to speak.

"I don't want to be like this. I don't want to force Fang and Max apart. I just want Max to be happy." he says.

"Dylan." I say to get him to look at me. "My genetics said that I was supposed to have wings but I didn't have to let Jeb inject me with that stuff, even though I did. I had a choice. So do you. Just because your genetics say you are suppose to love Max doesn't mean you have to. Its your choice to make." I explain. I can see that he is considering what I have said and a soft smile comes to his lips.

"Thank you. I never looked at it that way." he says.

"You're welcome." I say. A question pops into my head all of a sudden. "Hey Dylan, can I ask you something?" I ask.

"Sure." he says.

"Jeb mentioned to me that some of you have abilities. Do you?" I ask.

"We all do. I can see things very far away. Like the satellites. Oh and I can heal myself." Dylan says coolly.

"Heal yourself?" I wonder out loud.

"Yeah. Wanna see?" he asks. He pulls out a pocket knife out of his pant pocket and flips the knife out of it. The tip of the knife is pointed towards his forearm.

"Dylan no!" I almost scream.

"Don't worry Sage. Just watch." he says. He takes the knife and slices the skin shallowly. Blood flows out of the cut and even in the dark of night I can see it's dark red color. Then Dylan does something completely unexpected. He puts his thumb in his mouth, takes it out and spreads his own saliva and pressure on the cut. He wipes the blood and saliva away and the cut is gone.

"Whoa." I say.

"Kinda weird huh? The scientists I was by found out I could do this and started to test me. That's when I learned of my healing." he explains.

"Test you?" I ask, again not thinking of what I am asking.

"They tested how well my healing worked." he says. And after looking at my confused face he continues. "A lot of it was like you just saw. Sometimes it was worse. The cuts were deeper and they hurt more than anything I have felt. Luckily I could heal them."

"I'm sorry Dylan." I apologize.

"It's alright." he says. "But can I ask you a question?"

"Um, sure." I say.

"How are you going to tell the Flock that you can fly?" he asks.

"Oh I think I know how." I say with a smirk on my face.


	5. Ch 5: Special Surprise

Chapter 5- Special Surprise

The sky is getting lighter by the minute and I land softly on the roof. I hear a gurgling sound and realize that it is my stomach. I start climbing down the roof and see Dylan land.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"The kitchen. I'm starving. Besides, the group should be waking up soon and they will be hungry too." I say. I jump down onto the deck and head inside quietly. I hear Dylan follow me.

"I can help." he offers.

"No. Its okay. I can cook." I say.

"Really, I want to help." He says as we walk into the kitchen.

"Fine. If you really want to help that much could you go and get me the eggs from the refrigerator?" I ask. Dylan rushes off to the refrigerator.

I go to the cabinets and find a large bowl and a huge skillet. Dylan comes back with the eggs and I start to break them and put them into the large mixing bowl. I grab a whisk and some salt and pepper and start to scramble the eggs.

"You guys don't happen to have a toaster do you?" I ask.

"Um. I think so." Dylan says as he goes off to check.

I finish scrambling the eggs and pour them into the skillet and onto the stove top. Dylan comes soon with a four piece toaster. I send Dylan to get the bread as I stir the eggs. We make a pile of toast and I finish the eggs. Everything is put on the table and soon all of the others are waking up and heading out of their bedrooms.

"Morning guys." I say as everyone takes a seat at the table. Most of them are half awake and Gazzy is snoring with his head laying on the table.

"Gazzy!" Angel says shaking him awake. His eyes get wide when he sees the pan full of eggs in front of him and he quickly grabs a plateful. We all start to laugh and grab our own plates full of the eggs and some toast.

We all start to eat and one time Dylan and I make eye contact. We both smile slightly and continue to eat. Gazzy gets through three plates of food and about eight pieces of toast. Nudge has a magazine on the table and is flipping the pages with one hand and eating with the other. Fang doesn't make a sound the entire time. Iggy doesn't talk much with one exception, he makes a little joke about Gazzy when he goes to get his third helping of food.

Finally after we all get done eating, we just chill and let the food coma set in while our plates are left empty in front of us at the table.

"Man that was good." Max says.

"Oh yeah." Dylan says. "Oh and Max, why don't we finish what we started a few days ago?" he asks. I fight back the urge to smile, knowing what will happen next.

"Your on." she says simply and gets up.

We all follow her as she heads outside and up the roof. The sky is lighter but lots of shadows still remain. Max is the first to fly off the roof followed by Dylan and soon everyone but Iggy. He hesitates and looks towards me.

"I think I'll try to fly again after. I'll wait here." I say. "Go ahead."

Iggy smiles at me before taking off and joining the group above the roof near the tree edge. I go and sit at the opposite edge of the roof from the take off edge. Dylan and Max climb just a few feet higher up above the group and the fight starts. I watch for just a few seconds before getting onto my feet. I stay kneeling down and slowly scoot back to the very edge of the roof.

I look up to the flock to make sure none of them see me. All of their attention is on the fight. I wait just a moment longer before silently jumping off the back edge of the roof. I let my wings catch me and I glide upward and into the trees, using the shadows as cover. I hover behind the tree tops, waiting for Dylan to give me the signal.

The fight is getting intense between Max and Dylan. Max sends attack after attack on Dylan is trying to keep up with his attacks on her. They both get in equal hits on one another and just when it seems like they are evenly matched, Max launches all of her strength on a full on attack. Dylan takes the advantage and flies upward at the last second, dodging Max's attack. This is what I have waited for.

I break through the trees and soar quickly straight up to where Dylan is. When I get there Dylan and I exchange glances before starting. He throws the first punch towards my shoulder. I easily dodge it and try to throw a punch of my own aiming for Dylan's arm. He deflects it and spins before sending a kick at me.

I know what the others may be thinking. But I don't have time to look as Dylan and I continue with our plan. We keep going back and forth taking shots at each other and deflecting them. After a few moments of continuous fighting, Dylan starts to take his position for the last move we planned. He lunges forward and does a powerful spinning fly kick. I dodge by flying up and doing a midair back flip and free falling before soaring back up. I climb to Dylan's level and stop in front of him.

"You may actually put up a good fight." Dylan says.

"You too. Thanks" I reply.

"We should fight for real sometime." he says.

"Sure thing." I smile

Dylan and I fly down to the level of the rest of the flock and the closer we get the better I can see their surprised faces. I have to suppress a laugh when I see Gazzy's jaw hanging and his mouth hanging wide open.

"Uh. Hey guys." I greet them all.

"Sage? I thought you couldn't fly yet!" Iggy says.

"Well...I figured it out last night." I admit.

"How?" Max asks.

"I just got so frustrated yesterday after I crashed and it was so embarrassing. So I came outside last night and kept thinking how you could all fly and take off so easily. When I thought about it for a bit I realized that I just needed to follow my instincts. So I jumped off the roof again." I explain.

"You just jumped!" Fang almost yells. "Did you even consider what would have happened if you crashed again?" he asks.

"Yes. And of course I thought about it. But I knew I wouldn't crash again." I reply back at him.

"You knew? How could you know?" he asks.

"I'm not sure. I just knew okay?" I say to him.

"No. It's not okay." Max says.

"What?" I ask.

"You can't just risk you life doing stupid stunts like that." she says harshly.

These words hit home. Max has been harsh before but I haven't seen her be this harsh before. An awkward silence follows.

"Well it wasn't for nothing." Dylan says, breaking the silence. "Sage found out a way to hover in mid air." he says.

"What? That's not possible." Nudge says.

"Can you really?" Iggy asks.

"Yeah watch." I say as I fly back from the group. "It's easy. Just tuck the large part of you wings in and flap the tip to send the air under your wings." I demonstrate for the group.

Soon all of the flock members are trying my technique and trying to hover like I can. Max and Fang figure it out and I just hover and watch as the others all learn to hover after some practice. We all just fly around a bit longer before landing on the roof and heading inside.

_Max was right Sage. _I hear Iggy say in my head.

_What? _I ask.

_I'm glad you're safe but you can't take stupid risks like you did. _He says.

_I know. It was really stupid. Sorry. _I apologize.

"Come on." I say pulling him into the kitchen.


	6. Ch6: Uncertain Belonging

**Chapter 6-Uncertain belonging-**

**A/N: Hey to all of my readers. I'm really sorry for waiting so so so long to update anything. I really hope you can all forgive me. I am promising to get more chapters updated soon too so keep on reading! And please review, it really helps me with the story. Thanks!**

"So what's planned for this afternoon?" Jeb asks, finishing off his lunch.

"Don't know, don't care." Max says through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Sweet." I say after swallowing. "A free day off."

"Finally!" Nudge exclaims. "I've been dying to read all of my magazines."

"Really? Dying?" I ask sarcastically. "I'll be sure to come to your funeral in my best clothes."

Everyone laughs, except Nudge who crosses her arms. "It is not funny. I learn a lot from them!"

"Yeah like the proper way to put on lip gloss." Max says with a disgusted look on her face.

"Exactly!" Nudge says. "You never know when that will come in handy!"

"Ugh!" Max says.

"I have to admit, I even learned stuff from those girly magazines." I say. "If you know where to look, there is a lot you can learn about almost everything."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Max says, eating another bite of her sandwich.

Nudge ignored her. "You read magazines?" she asks.

"Yeah. It use to give me something to do when I would get too bored." I explain.

"Finally! Someone besides me who reads magazines!" Nudge says. "We are so totally hanging out later."

"uh...okay." I say, a little unsure.

"You might just regret saying that." Fang says. Nudge just sticks her tongue out at him.

_Starstarstarstarstarstarstar starstarstarstarstarstarstar starstar_

"You see I think that this jacket would go really well with this dress and these shoes." Nudge says, pointing to each of the objects on the page.

I shift myself on her bed to get a better look at the page. "Hm. See, if you're wearing this dress on a nice sunny summer day I think a light colored denim jacket would look the best with some sandals or maybe some wedge heels." I explain.

"Wow. I never thought of that!" Nudge says. "You really are good at this!"

"Thanks. I always kinda liked thinking up different outfits. I'm not all tom-boy all the time." I say.

"Good. Its nice to have someone I can actually talk to." Nudge says.

"I'm always gonna be here. You can talk to me anytime Nudge." I state. "You're practically a sister." I wrap one of my arms around her and give her a sideways hug.

"Thanks Sage." Nudge says. "Now what if it was this shirt with the distressed jeans?"

_starstarstarstarstarstarstar starstarstarstarstarstar_

I practically spent the entire day with Nudge. Her and I really connected, and its nice to feel like I actually belong with the flock. Its like having a huge family around me, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

So the next day comes and I just chill around the house. Iggy is listening to some audio book and of course Nudge is reading her magazines. Gazzy is messing around with something that I just know is meant to blow up when its done. Honestly what that kid does scares me sometimes.

I look over to see Fang on the only computer in the house. He's typing up something but I can't quite see. I stand up real quiet and try to sneak over and see.

"You can always just ask." Fang says when I'm a few feet from him. How he knew I was behind him I have no idea.

"Fine then. What's that?" I ask.

"My blog. Kids all around the world listen in to what I say." Fang says.

"Really? Cool." I say. "How long have you been doing a blog?"

"A couple of years." Fang answers.

"Do they know? About us?" I ask.

"No. They only know that what I have to say is important." Fang says. "They don't really know about us."

I walk back to the couch and plan myself on the fabric. I start staring off into space, wondering what if would be like if people did know about us. What would life be like then? And what about those scientists that are always hunting us down? Hunting me down? What would happen then?

"Hey." Fang says, waving a hand in front of my vision. He was sitting on the other couch.

"oh." I say, snapping out of my daydreaming.

"What you wondering about?" He asks.

"Just what it would be like if people knew about you guys." I say plainly.

"You mean if they knew about _us_?" Fang asks. "You're as much part of the flock as I am."

I look down to my hands. I do feel like I belong but there is always a nagging part of me that feels awkward near everyone. They've been with each other for years, even Dylan has been with them for at least a year. Me? Just a couple of weeks. It just doesn't feel right yet.

"Yeah." I say.

Fang laughs a little. I look up at him with a confused look. "You're so unsure, even of yourself. Its kinda funny." He explains. "And don't worry, you do belong." He stands and walks past me and back to the computer, ruffling my hair as he passes me. I smile at the brotherly gesture.

I get up and go outside. The sun is shining and there are a few clouds in the sky. I climb up onto the roof and lay down, relaxing and putting my arms behind my head. I stare out at the clouds as I wonder what I really am in the flock, just a member or am I actually family?


End file.
